Liberal Party of Cuba

The Liberal Party of Cuba, officially the Autonomist Liberal Party (PLA) was a liberal political party in Cuba that existed from 1878 to 1952. The party started contesting elections in 1910, winning 23 of the 41 seats in the parliamentary election. During the 1920s, the party held the presidency, and the party was one of the most powerful political parties in the country during the early 20th century. In 1940, the party's presidential candidate Fulgencio Batista won the presidential election, and Batista would later switch his party affiliation to the liberal-conservative Progressive Action Party in 1949. In 1952, facing certain electoral defeat, Batista launched a coup and banned the Liberal Party and all other parties.